Merry Christmas!
by Sabaku no Keiko
Summary: Sakura's alone on Christmas Eve, when someone comes by and makes a surprising statement, which leads the both to the Konoha Christmas Party.


Okay, well, here is the Christmas story I wanted to write... I know its a LITTLE too late but... I thought you would like to read it...

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto because then Asuma would live...

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><p>Haruno Sakura sat on her couch, a photo album in her hands. But she wasn't looking on the pictures. She was staring out of the window, watching the snowflakes dance and whirl around, then falling out of her sight. They were so free, but never alone. Not as alone as she was in that moment. She sighed and leaned onto the pillow behind her, resting the album on her knees. Sakura flipped a page and glanced on the photo in front of her. It showed Ino, Hinata, Tenten, Kurenai-sensei and herself at the last year's Konoha-Festival, all happy and safe. Now it was Christmas and they all were together in the village's city hall, celebrating a Christmas party. Well, except Sakura. Why? Because no one had asked her out. And she didn't want to show up alone, knowing that they all would be together with someone. It would be a pity to watch Ino kiss Shikamaru, Naruto to kiss the blushing Hinata, even Anko smiling up to "her" Iruka. They would all be happy and dance and do couple-things, but Sakura would just sit around. So she just decided to stay at home and do something else. She sighed and flipped the page again. Now she looked into the grinning eye of her former Sensei. On this picture, Kakashi ruffled the hair of Naruto and Sasuke, while they glared each other. The young Sakura on it looked so happy... They had been a great team, each one with his own abilities. Suddenly the cherry-blossom realized how big Kakashi looked compared to the three Genin. He was twice as big as Sakura. She must've been really short. Remembering the day when they asked Anko to take the picture, Sakura wiped away a little tear. She missed being in a team with them. She missed the late training sessions, she missed being mostly ignored by her sensei... And suddenly, she realized that she wasn't missing the team, she had that empty feeling in her stomach because Kakashi wasn't here anymore. Sakura frowned. What did that mean? Why wasn't she missing Sasuke or Naruto, like she always thought she would do? She shook her head, wasn't sure what to think of it. And suddenly, someone knocked on the door. She stood up, still a little shocked from her sudden thoughts and walked up to the door, forgetting to look through the spy. And opened. What was behind the door, surprised her. Really.<p>

"K-Kakashi?" she asked surprised and took a step back, covering her mouth with a hand, disbelieving of what she saw, what was right in front of her. She was that surprised that she totally forgot adding the "sensei" to his name. He smiled, at least she thought he was smiling. "Hey Sakura. Um... May I come in for a minute?" he asked and looked her in the eyes, his shining onyx one in her green ones. She nodded, stunned of his whole body leaning at the wall in front of her apartment and then trying to pass. Sakura stepped aside and closed the door behind him, speechless. "You... want something to drink?" she said, knowing that he would say no. Kakashi shook his head and took a glimpse at the apartment being in a complete mess, before taking a seat on the couch, right on the spot where Sakura had sat a few minutes ago. She stood opposites of him, totally unsure what to do now. When he directly looked at her, she blushed and looked to the ground. _Stop acting all weird! _her inner voice told her after being quiet for a couple of months. Sakura looked up again, seeing Kakashi look aside and even on his cheeks, at least the part which wasn't covered by his mask, was a slight blush. "So... why're you here?" Sakura asked, still standing on the same spot. "I just wanted to... see if you're okay." he answered, knowing it was only half of the truth. "I'm okay. See?" she said, pointing at her body. He nodded. "Since I'm in your apartment I wouldn't have to ask that, but would you sit down?" Kakashi said, making place for her on the small couch. She nodded shortly, just like him and took a seat beside him, only centimetres away from him. Suddenly he looked at her and asked: "Why aren't you at the Christmas party?" Realizing how that came out he looked away embarassed. "I... didn't have someone to go with. I just didn't want to look stupid showing up without a date, you know?" she said, leaning against the cushions, facing him, but still with a slight blush on her face. When that answer came, she was surprised by the honest. "Yes. I know." he said. Kakashi also leaned back, his eye focusing on her. "So..." he began again. "If you had a date... would you go then?" Sakura just shrugged. "Yeah, I think. Why? Are you going to ask me out or what?" she said, laughing. _I bet you wish he would. _the inner Sakura screamed. _I have to admit, you wouldn't look bad with him. _And then, the room went silent. It was a silence you could cut with a knife. The cherry-blossom wondered, why. And it felt awkward. Deep in her heart, she already knew the answer what was coming several minutes later, after she gave up trying to keep eye contact with him. As he looked up, his eye sparkled and it seemed like he just started praying for strength.

"Yes."

"What?" she squealed, her eyes big as a deer one's in the spotlight.

"I'm asking you to... go to the Christmas party with me." he said, his breath caught by the expression shown on his former student's face. "But... it's okay, if you don't want to... I mean because... I'm your former sensei and all tha-"

"No. I mean, I'd..." She took a deep breath. "...love to go out with you, Kakashi." That would be the best to figure out her feelings for him, if there were feelings at all. But deep inside she wished that there would be some. Kakashi looked up surprised, not getting a thing she said. "Really?" he asked, totally confused. She nodded briefly and stood up. "Let me just change into something more... partyish." she said and walked to her bedroom. When she turned at the door, she smiled at him. He looked after her, and when the door between them was closed, he leaned back, taking a few deep breaths. _Wow, I wouldn't have thought she was going to say yes. _he thought. _Now on with part two of the plan. Tell her everything._

The party went on, some of the older one's were already getting drunk, the music was getting better the later it went. Ino stood at the bar, holding to glasses of sake in her hand, waiting for a third one, when the door of the city hall opened again. But who could that be? Guests of the party? That late? Ino was wondering and stood on her toes, trying to look over the crowd, for getting a better sight of the couple arriving. And then she stood there, staring, her mouth open, her eyes big. Shikamaru came over and grabbed one sake, noticing the look of his date. "What is it, Ino-san?" he asked, looking in the same direction as her. And stood there, staring at the couple, making their way through the dancing crowd. Choji passed by, looked in the same direction, and chuckled. "I knew that had to happen..." he mumbled, taking the sake out of Shikamaru's hands and sipping it, walking away slowly. He wasn't in a hurry, because he was probably the only one, except maybe Shizune, without a date. Suddenly the music stopped for a moment and you could hear a loud and clear scream.

"Oh my god! Hatake and the Haruno-girl!"

That was Mitarashi Anko, for sure. And she was drunk. Very drunk. Iruka besides her tried to calm her down with laying a hand on her neck and squeezing her hand, but it didn't work. She just kept cussing at the silver-haired Jounin who stood right in the middle of the dance floor, dressed in a casual suit over a T-Shirt without the headband, but still with his mask. The young girl besides him, her tiny hand in his, had her hair falling down on her shoulders with light curls, her dress red. It just ended above her knees and had little diamonds on it. It sparkled in the light of the dance floor, dragging more attention on it that actually needed. "You didn't take me because of _her_? That little girl, _your former student_?" Anko began to shout again, now in a rage. Kakashi took a step back, but Sakura hold his hand still and whispered: "No. We have to stand through this together." He looked down at her, first unsure, then becoming braver. Slowly he lead Sakura through the scaring crowd over to the bar, where Ino and Shikamaru stood, totally ignoring the furious Anko being carried out by a totally embarassed Iruka. Kakashi ordered something non-alcohol to drink for them and smiled at Sakura who was blushing deeply, noticing the looks of the people around them. Suddenly, and that really all of a sudden, the music started again, and the people were all forgetting about the little incident. Well, not all. Ino grabbed Sakura's arm and pulled her away from the older Jounin. Shikamaru and Kakashi looked at each other, both wanting to know what the blonde Kuniochi was shouting at the pink-haired, but then they shrugged, grinned and said in unison: "Too troublesome."

Later that evening, the silver-haired Jounin and the pink Chuunin were dancing on the dance floor when a slow song began to play softly. Kakashi laid his hands on Sakura's waist, pulling her near, their bodies barely leaving an empty place between. She reached up and laid her hands on his chest, her head's following close. He touched the top of her head with his still masked lips, then resting his chin on her head. They danced along slowly, lost in the moment, in their thoughts, their touch. Suddenly Sakura chuckled, looking up. But she didn't look into the eye of Kakashi. She looked at the mistletoe above their heads. He looked up, too, smiling slightly. "I think we have to kiss now, right?" the pink-haired Kuniochi said slowly, now looking at his face. He nodded, even slower. "Yeah, I think so." he said, reaching up to pull down his mask, but she stopped him with a little movement of her eyes. "Let me do it." she whispered, her hands now shaking a little. He chuckled deeply and let his hands fall to her hips again. Then she raised her hands, slightly pulling at the dark mask, covering half of his face. When she pulled it down, a little gasp escaped her mouth. He wasn't just looking normal, he looked even beautiful. His jawline was clearly defined and his lips were... She sighed, when he leaned in onto her, slowly covering her mouth with his, catching her in a passionate kiss. Still at her lips he whispered: "Merry Christmas, Sakura."

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><p>I know it's not my best work but after all I finished it... Please review... And don't be too mad at me...<p> 


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